The Enemy of My Enemy Is Still My Enemy

I must be crazy. It can't possibly be that American Catholics are this confused. They can't possibly really think that Putin is a Christian guy who just wants to make the world a better place in which to live.

Can I read Putin's soul? Of course not. All I can read is his biography. He was a KGB agent from 1985-1990. His opponents are jailed and his critics are murdered on his birthday. He is a thug. He is corrupt, and a narcissist, and a kleptomaniac. He is a fascist. He is an enemy of free people and free speech. He is not building a paradise that red-blooded conservatives would enjoy living in. He is simply an authoritarian who's noticed that Muslims are having more babies than his own people. Fascism is still bad, folks! Worse than Obama! Really!

Oh, is he the defender of the family? For crying out loud, Hitler was also vociferously anti-gay. Yes, I said "Hitler" on the internet, boo hoo hoo.

Think. Think. Just because someone says he hates the things that terrify you, that does not make him your friend. Just because he looks tougher than Obama when he takes his shirt off, this does not make him a model of leadership. Think Obama stinks? I do, too. Think homosexual propaganda is a threat to the family? I do, too. Think the persecution of Christians is a growing threat globally? I do, too.

Think Putin is here to save western civilization? You're crazy. And you frighten me.

Putin is not a friend of Christians. He is not a hero. Be glad if some of his words do some good in the world, and then run away from this evil man fast as you can.

Comments

This is the kind of slanderous smut that one would expect to hear from Bill Kristol or some other neocon warmonger, not from the ncregister.

Posted by Frank Montez on Tuesday, Oct 1, 2013 2:03 AM (EDT):

He does want to stop the decline of his nation’s population and MAYBE because of political / economic reasons but so what ? we’re called to judge his ACTIONS and not his heart , or am i wrong in this ? Yet with Barry his intentions MAY be right but that’s not what we’re called to judge but the actions . So because Putin doesn’t share OUR AMERICAN ideas of freedom of speech, religion ? and association he’s as bad as Hitler or worse than Obamination ? Is there any room or moral , biblical circumstance that could allow for what we know for a fact he’s done ? Just want the truth .Is he or is he not a christian ?

Posted by Frank Montez on Tuesday, Oct 1, 2013 1:53 AM (EDT):

Hitler may have been anti sodomite even to the point of killing them , but doesn’t your comparison of Putin to him is twisted ? So , since he’s also anti sodomite as Hitler ( though not killing them ? ) that could and does mean he’s just as evil if not worse than Hitler ? Because he rules with an iron fist ( no version of AMERICAN freedom ) he’s a tyrant ? So , we know for sure( or is publicly accepted ) that he’s murdered his political enemies ? Just want some clarification . Also because if Russians don’t have 1st amendment ( american cultural bias or is it a universal natural law ? ) then he is an evil man ? He’s the only Russian leader that’s initiated the first restrictions on abortion in fifty years ! That’s fact # 1 . Fact # 2 he calls and denounces intrinsic disorders such as homosexuality as just that . So boo hoo . Now is he a political murderer such as Hitler or a sodomite loving leader such as Ol Barry ?

Posted by Dot on Sunday, Sep 1, 2013 12:24 AM (EDT):

This article is correct, and one could make more comparisons to Hitler (and Stalin) as faux-conservatives. For instance, each of them turned the abortion-spigot on and off in order to achieve demographic ends, not for anything spiritual.

Furthermore, there is much historical evidence of misdirection and disinformation in the post-Berlin Wall Russia,, validating the Golitsyn hypothesis that the KGB staged a faked death of the Soviet Union. There was never a Nuremberg trial for the Communists. Their archives were opened for brief period in the 90s and then clamped shut. If Putin is going to claim some type of repentance for his past, then he can darn well let some sun shine in on those archives.

Posted by Brian Vree on Tuesday, Aug 27, 2013 11:24 AM (EDT):

This post is an appeal to emotion that is basically void of real analysis. In fact, it could have been written 1700 years ago, substituting “Constantine” for “Putin”. Yeah, they have had their problems, but that doesn’t meant they aren’t being used as a tool by God to further the Christian cause.

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 8:56 AM (EDT):

That is ‘leave’ them behind.

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 8:56 AM (EDT):

@Martin - I agree to a point. I’d love my Californian brothers and sisters to come and live here provided they live their ‘Left Coast’ values behind.

Posted by Martin on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 8:18 AM (EDT):

Raul, I’m with you, brother. But meanwhile let’s stop inviting people from places like California to come here.

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 21, 2013 8:00 AM (EDT):

ryan wrote:

“What I have learned about most Americans is that most don’t know the name of their own Senators, but their all experts when it comes to Putin and Russia.”

By the Lord that is the truth and part of the reason why I desire my beloved Texas to leave this Union. Texas first. Texas forever. Join the Texas Nationalist Movement. You can’t get more distributist than that.

Posted by steve ryan on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 2:45 PM (EDT):

What I have learned about most Americans is that most don’t know the name of their own Senators, but their all experts when it comes to Putin and Russia.

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 12:49 PM (EDT):

Simcha, you wrote about Putin: “He is a thug. He is corrupt, and a narcissist, and a kleptomaniac. He is a fascist.” No doubt you are in a position to know all these things very well. About the only thing you’ve missed is “raqa” (Mt 5:22).

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 12:04 PM (EDT):

And Mark, it strikes me that you hold the position that the promotion of homosexuality is to be tolerated; I hope that’s not the case, but it certainly comes across that way. The Russian law isn’t about persecuting homosexuals; it’s about criminalizing the promotion of homosexuality. If you can’t see the difference, that may be the underlying difficulty.

Posted by steve ryan on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 10:56 AM (EDT):

I think it is important to understand that what is going on in Russia is not just about Putin with respect to faith.
Russians want to celebrate Christmas and Easter. They love the Virgin Mary and the Orthodox Church is a deep part of Russia’s soul whether they attend church or not. ..Russians and Putin reject the West’s inexorable move towards making Christianity politically incorrect.
Like Martin said Putin outwardly supports Christianity, but what his role in this emerging sacred drama between the West and Russia is anybody’s guess.

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 10:28 AM (EDT):

Mark, that’s the whole thrust of most of the comments you have reacted against. That unlike our Western leaders, Putin, despite his putative faults, failings and misdeeds, (and they are putative, and likely to remain so until Judgment Day) at least outwardly supports Christianity.

Posted by Mark Shea on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 10:00 AM (EDT):

Impossible and unthinkable that any of our recent presidents have ever had anyone killed. Absolutely. We have the moral high ground, for sure.

And if anybody here was saying that or claiming American presidents as heroic champions of the faith, that would be a devastating point.

Posted by steve ryan on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 9:29 AM (EDT):

To martin,...Indeed…I need to go get another cup of coffee…thanks

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 9:25 AM (EDT):

Steve, looks like you didn’t see the intended irony.

Posted by steve ryan on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 9:11 AM (EDT):

To Mr. Shea.. You have been carving out a Catholic niche denouncing America torture for a number of years. The US invades countries and kills innocent women and children.
To Martin… I suppose Iraqis Muslim Arabs are not really fully formed people so in your book when we kill those innocent people it does not count By the way Obama last year had an American killed in Yemen - assasinated because he was viewed as an enemy of the state. But its ok because he was an American of Arab decent..

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 2:45 AM (EDT):

Impossible and unthinkable that any of our recent presidents have ever had anyone killed. Absolutely. We have the moral high ground, for sure.

Posted by Mark Shea on Tuesday, Aug 20, 2013 12:04 AM (EDT):

Can’t read hearts. Can just read stories in the news of Putin’s enemies being poisoned on his orders.

Amazing to watch the same demographic of people who panic about the horrors of Pope Francis being elected or saying something nice about faithful chaste homosexuals shed tears of pity for this poor abused authoritarian murderer and hail him as a hero. Talk about screwy priorities.

Posted by steve ryan on Monday, Aug 19, 2013 11:44 PM (EDT):

To MJ.. Mark Shea and Ms Fischer learned everything they know about Russia in elementary school and old copies of National Geographic. These two great Christians/Catholics know what is in Putin’s heart better than he does.
Why American journalists who know nothing of Russia are so quick to opine on what is in the heart of Russian leaders is a mystery to me,

Posted by MJ on Monday, Aug 19, 2013 6:35 PM (EDT):

For my part, when Putin invades, I shall hail him as a liberator.

Simcha Fisher and Mark Shea are hilarious. I suggest going deeper into history. He’s by no means perfect, and immensely overblown as a leader, in some ways - and yet, infinitely better (and more moral - yes, I said it) than any Western leader currently in power.

Posted by Hilary White on Monday, Aug 19, 2013 11:28 AM (EDT):

My real beef with Putin is his surname. I mean, how can anyone expect me to take the man seriously when his name means that gross Quebec stuff with french fries and cheese and gravy. Ugh. Srsly?

Posted by Pam on Sunday, Aug 18, 2013 8:46 PM (EDT):

Simcha did allude to the apparitions of Fatima. (If we did not convert: Russia will spread her errors throughout the world. Nations will be annihilated. But in the end Mary’s Immaculate Heart will triumph. Russia will be converted and will lead other nations to conversion.) It is hard to know where we are in that prediction. Certainly communism has spread and nations have disappeared. It is possible the damage is still continuing and it is possible that Russia, which now allows its citizens to go to Church is being converted. God works in strange ways. This is one area we might just find it wiser to pray than to have an opinion. God will make it clear soon enough.

Posted by Martin on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 3:01 PM (EDT):

I’ve long been an ardent anti-communist so I never thought I would find myself being grateful for anything Russian. Now I am glad they have a military force strong enough to oppose the USA as we lose our moral bearing.

Posted by steve ryan on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 1:16 PM (EDT):

The Blessed Mother has been a constant presence in our history. Our Lady of Guadalupe changed a continent with her message to a poor Indian peasant. At Fatima she warned of a Russia’s errors. At Fatima she said if Russia was consecrated the errors would end. Lech Walensa with his lapel pin of the Blessed Mother and Blessed JPII’s devotion to the Virgin Mary ignited a spiritual awaking that would end the cold war.
Today millions of Russians wait for hours in freezing cold weather to view an ancient relic of the Mother of Christ - her fertility belt. Yesterday it was announced that Russia’s fertility rate is now higher than the United States - the first time since Bolshevik revolution took place on oct of 1917 the month and year of Fatima.

All these things are real and make up the richness of the Catholic faith. Without accepting and understanding the real presence of the supernatural then our faith is nothing more than an academic exercise.

Believe that Russia is experiencing a spiritual awaking. Not saying if Putin is a good guy or bad guy I am just saying do not be surprised if Russia will be the “instrument of our chastisement”

Posted by c matt on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:40 PM (EDT):

I think we also need to stand up against the violent suppression of the freedom to speak, and that means of gay speech as well.

Well, somewhere between opening fire on any SS couple holding hands in public and promoting the joys of SS relationships in kindergarten class there is likely some room for reasonable restrictions to help safeguard morals conducive to the common good. Not sure if Putin’s laws reach that reasonable restriction or not, but not convinced free speech at all costs in the current US culture reaches that balance either.

Posted by c matt on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 12:27 PM (EDT):

but I’ve never met anyone who supports China’s family planning policies and methods.

Seriously? Have you never heard of Joe Biden?

Posted by IslandChristian on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 9:57 AM (EDT):

No i dont think He wouldhave, and Ive always been opposed to the Iraq war so your point whatever it was is moot.

Posted by steve ryan on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 6:09 AM (EDT):

Would Jesus invade Iraq. What crime did the innocent women and children commit in Iraq?

Posted by IslandChristian on Friday, Aug 16, 2013 2:53 AM (EDT):

I honestly cannot believe this is even a discussion. I try to live my life by the classic saying What Would Jesus Do. Would Jesus or the Holy Mother really be applauding the torture and murder of people whose only crime is to wave a rainbow flag? I think not. For shame.

So the Decree on Religious Liberty (and Holy Church that promulgates it) is “masonically inspired”.

This is one of the umpteen reasons why the biggest foes of Traditionalism are not the Jews and Masons that Traddies imagine are perpetually tunneling under their houses, but Traditionalists themselves. You need an enemy, FGA? Look in the mirror.

Posted by FGA on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 3:57 PM (EDT):

“One thing, however, remains always true – that the liberty which is claimed for all to do all things is not, as We have often said, of itself desirable, inasmuch as it is contrary to reason that error and truth should have equal rights. And as to tolerance, it is surprising how far removed from the equity and prudence of the Church are those who profess what is called liberalism. For, in allowing that boundless license of which We have spoken, they exceed all limits, and end at last by making no apparent distinction between truth and error, honesty and dishonesty” (Pope Leo XIII, Libertas, 34-35).

So, Simcha (and the amen choir) you can keep on attacking those who do not share your masonically inspired “enlightenment” views but at least have the intellectual integrity to cease presenting such opinions as Catholic.

Posted by steve ryan on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 3:01 PM (EDT):

Hi Simhca,

you may get many requests like this but since this post is about Putin, Catholics, etc..Would you have an interest in taking a look at my book about the Virgin Mary/Russia called “The Madonna Files” (Whiskey Creek Press) It may well change your views about certain things
My diocesan newspaper gave the book a nice write up
http://catholicherald.com/stories/Ireton-graduate-publishes-Marian-thriller,23277

Posted by mrscracker on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 2:34 PM (EDT):

Martin,
You may be right.
Years back some of my family lived in a nation under dictatorship.The ruler was pretty infamous, but as difficult as things were, there was at least some order to society & there was a medical& educational infrastructure for those who could afford it. Forget any political freedom, but there was at least freedom of religion.It was a lousy govt for sure & if you voiced opposition you & your family dissapeared, but things kind of still worked in a fashion for folks who kept quiet.
After the dictorship was overthrown all you know what let loose & it’s been anarchy, disease, & destruction ever since.Some countries never seem to catch a break.

Posted by steve ryan on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 2:13 PM (EDT):

To Martin..Amen to you, sir..American public sits back and allows the US to support al queda led rebels who kill Christians..This country deserves what ever fate is in store. Half this country thinks Snowden and Braldley manning are effective whistle blowers .. Obamna wants them tried for abetting the enemy punishable by death. Putin - whatever you think of him , at least speaks out on behalf of Christians in the middle east.

Is Putin worse than the US invading Iraq and killing thousands of innocent women and children..

Posted by PJP on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 2:08 PM (EDT):

Not so fast: http://catholiclane.com/putin-and-the-discontinuity-of-catholic-identity/

Posted by Martin on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 2:05 PM (EDT):

Steve Ryan: Amen.

Mrs Cracker: Yes, everyone is bad in Syria, except the innocent. However, when the strongman dictator is removed from power in Iraq, Egypt and Syria, as horrible as these regimes are, everyone loses but Christians suffer the most. The wrongheaded US policy to attempt to establish representative governments in this region continues to cause massive persecution and suffering. Muslim culture is neither ready for representative government nor will it ever really embrace it as long as it remains Muslim. Whatever one thinks of Assad, by arming and training the al Qaeda rebels in Syria the US is intensifying the persecution of Christians; by opposing the rebels in Syria, Russia is helping the Christians.

Posted by mrscracker on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:43 PM (EDT):

anna lisa,
Nutrias aren’t actually rats, more like South American muskrats that got loose & are taking over the swamps & marshes & destroying native habitat.The state’s been trying to encourage folk to eat nutria to help decrease the population but the idea hasn’t really caught on.Neither have environmentally-friendly nutria fur coats.

I know they’re destructive, but they’re kind of cute.I like the whiskers.

Posted by anna lisa on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:25 PM (EDT):

mrs cracker, thanks for the link. I didn’t even know 20 pound rats called Nutrias existed. Norman looked endearing enough, but I might have panicked at such an unexpected KMART meeting.
.
The article about the violence against Christians and Obama’s Putin-double standard was infuriating. How horrible it must be to live the life of those Muslim hate mongers. Hate is their bread and butter. How can they praise God with the same venom dipped tongue? My father thinks they are worshiping evil. While I know this isn’t true of the simple people, articles like that one convince me that he isn’t just venting. This is why I mostly avoid the news and even many of my own Dad’s emails with links to similar articles. I find that there is only so much that I can take.

Posted by steve ryan on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:23 PM (EDT):

Russia’s spiritual revival is not about Putin.
It is real and is not going away..

I have spent four years writing and researching this phenomenon. My book “The Madonna Files” comes out at the end of this month. It explores all this. Russia is a “Marian” country - They love the Blessed Mother..

From My book:
“Did you know that Padre Pio, the great Italian stigmatic mystic, once said that the Russian people would be converted and their conversion would happen very fast.”
“Yes, Peter, I read that somewhere.”
“Yes, good, but what is really fascinating, Daniel, is that Padre Pio cryptically added that Russia would teach the United States a lesson in conversion—“teach a lesson”, Daniel.”
www.themadonnafiles.com

Posted by mrscracker on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 11:03 AM (EDT):

Corita,
North Korea’s so far off the map of normalcy I couldn’t even comment, but I don’t think there are really many “good guys” fighting for any side in Syria.A member of the resistance admitted to canabalizing someone fighting for the regime.I just feel sorry for the civilians caught in the middle.It’s a terrible shame.Ditto for Egypt.
Shoot, we’re likely China’s biggest customer, so it could be said the US is China’s biggest supporter.Their govt’s hardly democratic.

Posted by Corita on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 10:42 AM (EDT):

My dear mother listens to me rant about certain kinds of decline on a regular basis. This morning I called to pontificate about the immensely perverse objectification that is removing a piece of public wall art created by Banksy and selling it to rich people to put up on their own private walls. Unbelievable!!! Talk about your culture wars!!!

....But any way, we got talking about this (again) and she reminded me that Putin is one of THE biggest supporters of both the Syrian and North Korean governments—murderous, repressive regimes, both. WISE AS SERPENTS, people.

(anna lisa- I love The Big Bang Theory; it is so witty…but also not good for forming minds, yessir.)

Posted by mrscracker on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 10:14 AM (EDT):

I read this online @:http://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/
I think it kind of highlights the hypocrisy.It’s not so much Putin-as -hero, but why single out Putin while ignoring worse stuff from non-Russian sources?
(If you read Rod Dreher’s other articles, check out the funny one about Louisiana & the intoxicated cowboy who rode his horse into the bar & lassoed someone in the parking lot.Also the resident nutria rat in the WalMart:“Abbeville Walmart’s “Norman” the Nutria case goes to court in July”,& the best boudin shop recommendation.It’s all true.)

“Putin Bad; Islamists — Hey, No Problem!”

Posted on August 15, 2013, 6:17 AMRod Dreher

Posted by James on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 8:48 AM (EDT):

Putin is the best leader Russia has had in over a century.

But the standards over there are pretty low. The leaders of Russia in the 20th Century, from Czar Nicholas II to Yeltsin, were either incompetent or cruel or both.

He’s not Hitler, Napoleon, or Constantine. He is a man who wants to be Czar. Part of the job description of being Czar of Russia is publicly supporting the Russian Orthodox Church and Orthodox Christianity in general. (Supporting Orthodox Serbia over Catholic Austria-Hungary is what got Russia into World War I.) I don’t know the state of Putin’s soul, but I have a pretty good sense of his political motivations.

Posted by anna lisa on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:35 AM (EDT):

lol, The Big Bang *Theory…off it goes!

Posted by anna lisa on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:34 AM (EDT):

Feast day blessings to you too Corita. I’m trying to resist the jaundice, and squinting too. No Pollyanna here. I always appreciate your wild, mixed imagery. Thank God for it,—and Simcha’s too. But I’d better get up because the natives are now watching The Big Bang (which I love, but not good for their squishy little brains).
Blessings on all of your beautiful ones too.

Posted by Corita on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:11 AM (EDT):

Obama vs. Putin: Who is worse? ...is just a distraction game. They both suck, although thanks to the US democratic system being what it is and the recent political culture Obama will not have as much power (we think) in a few more years. AFAIK Obama hasn’t poisoned anyone yet—at least not directly. My criticisms of our president are wide-ranging and I join ranks with many super-lefties in them. HOWEVER Putin is to be viewwed with jaundiced eye, and wariness of the Man With No Name entering a strange town. There be Monsters, if I may wildly mix my imagery.

I think that Satan is delighted to back us into corners where we think we are in a zero-sum game. We are not, and we don’t need to pick one or the other. Trying to win culture wars by running into the arms of Putin is a great way to risk joining ranks with evil. The odds are.
Living in hope of an authentic conversion, but with one eye squinting, waiting for proof before I give an inch.

Posted by anna lisa on Thursday, Aug 15, 2013 12:06 AM (EDT):

Tyler, :)! My almost three, (minus girlfriends/boyfriends) twenty-something-year-olds would never concede so graciously as you,(a tribute to your parents as well I’m sure).—They are good kids, but my boys argue to the death, on any subject under the sun—even when they are upside down and hanging by a pinkie toe. My daughter is far too wily to make me mad. All that stubborn-ness is sure to work out well in the end eh? Ha ha, that reminds me; today is the feast day of my second born, Maximilian Kolbe! Holy tenacity! And if you are back east, it is already Our Lady’s feast day. Extra special, blessings to you too.

Posted by Tyler on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:30 PM (EDT):

Amen…your getting all Mary and Motherly and wise on me now…that’s hard to resist…Sorry for the rant earlier….good stuff, God Bless…Good Night

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:04 PM (EDT):

Tyler, it’s still early here on the west coast and my husband is becoming a K of C tonight. (I’ve been promised they have great insurance, so I’m tentatively on board, but the feathered hats and swords are a deal breaker, if and when that comes up).
The natives are running amok and have Cartoon Network on while they eat dinner. So here I am, wondering about a few off topic things out loud.
I agree with you about not confusing sexual attraction with who we are. for instance: I am Anna Lisa, child of God.
I also happen to be a wife and mother of many, but my primary identity is the above.
I’ve noticed that as I get older with kids from 26 to preschool, and with more than a bit of heartbreak (some death and mayhem) under my belt, that I’ve learned to view my fellow man/woman in a different way: They, just like me, are _______ (insert name), infinitely precious child of God. Whether they are men or women, attracted to men or women (or whatnot—insert your fodder for Google searches), *I* am more attracted to *them*. I think it was the heartbreak that changed me. It made me more identified with *Him*, who made *them*, and I can now see them as attractive and infinitely precious—no matter what.
.
God is attracted to *everyone*. The sociopaths and the narcissists are the tough pill to swallow, but let’s not end on a bad note and affirm the beautiful reality that God is very patient, to say the least.

Posted by Tyler on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:35 PM (EDT):

I work for the NSA..we are working on a new beta API that can actually interface directly into googles users minds…through simple control and actuation logic..we can make you search anything. This really helps when we have quotas to fill from our superiors.

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:03 PM (EDT):

Oh. my. gosh. I’m such a sucker. He got me to Google Masgalagnia.

Posted by tyler on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:58 PM (EDT):

Corita and anna

1.I have had three
2. People are not “gay” or “homosexual” they have same sex attraction. One is a secular pop culture term the other is a quasi scientific term that has of yet no scientic material cause..ssa is used because it means something different….identity vs compulsion…your sexuality is not who you are..its complex and all but it has to do with the troublesome premise of identifying with your sin instesd of rejecting it…that is problematic
3.See obama drone strikes and abortion, support for arab spring, silence on christians being slaughtered,
4.is putin actively trying to suppresd christianity? No. Is obama yes?
5.is putin a carny? I don’t know..is he a thug? Looks like he has been.
6.criticism of thosr who primarily publicly define themselves to others or in groups by their sexual picadillos.is not"hate”..its crtiticism..its also arbitrary given the wide range of secual picsdillos to choose from

Anywsys I admitted earlier I jumped the shark by going ayn “Rant” and off topic…

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:38 PM (EDT):

@ JohnN, I give no credit for the America that I live in to Obama. Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh can go do their dirty little dance WITH Obama. Haters hate.

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:32 PM (EDT):

My problem is that I like to *hope* even when the math says it’s a bit foolish.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:29 PM (EDT):

anna lisa: Only in America can one relax on a beach with a glass of wine admiring the kids while criticizing the President of the country that hopefully you love for his thuggish behavior and his “democracy smashing crap”. Only in America. But enjoy your leisure and your freedom.
Perhaps you might consider putting such posts in the hands of Glen Beck or Rush Limbaugh rather than in a Christian Catholic publication. Those two guys would surely welcome your input.

Posted by Tony on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:25 PM (EDT):

Putin and Russia are not to be trusted. He’s just looking for groups of people to scapegoat and demonize like Hitler did the Jews.

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:24 PM (EDT):

Well, given that I might have had a half of a glass of wine too many, (no, I’m not pregnant anymore, and I didn’t drive) will someone please translate Tyler for me? That sounded like three or four too many.

Posted by Corita on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:49 PM (EDT):

Simcha, I bet you had no idea that there were (1) This many people who can see so far into history; (2) This many nutters who hate gay people and Obama so much they will lionize murderers; or (3) This many Russian propagandists skulking around Catholic blogs on the internet.

Putin as Constantine meme? Come on that HAS to be a product of some brilliant former-KGB agents working the US beat.

Posted by Tyler on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:31 PM (EDT):

I agree…the points are a bit off topic Mark but darn it…it was a great personally cleansing rant…sorry. Most importantly though, and you will note I didn’t specifically call Simcha out nor accuse her of those things…In fact I laid out a general garment and your the one accusing me that I tailored it exactly for her size, Sir Gallahad! There are plenty of people throwing in and no reply button in here. Come on now! You rant from time to time.

Let us hope the murderous thug repents and holds to his public convictions that he means what he says and he is not the carny we all believe him to be.

P.S….VOOOHHRRRIIISSSS, booga booga, booga,! sorry I had too :)

Sorry Simcha..your no Manniquin Lover you!

Posted by Mark Shea on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:08 PM (EDT):

Yes. Well. That wasn’t insane or anything. Clearly, when Simcha Fisher warns about lionizing a murderous thug, her real agenda is justification of sexual compulsion, Mannequin Love (!), Transgendered Bathrooms(!!), and recruitment for the Maschalagnia Movement(?!). Good to have these penetrating insights into the inner workings of the soul of this dangerous Neocon Catholic from members of the Not at All Crazy or Anything Community.

Posted by Tyler on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 7:25 PM (EDT):

Sniff Sniff…There is a significant whiff of Neo-Con Catholic Accomodationalist-theory, in the air. (Pssst Modernity!) I do like Pat Buchanan’s article. He lays it out again, and again and again then appropriately correlates the hypocrisy of the Moral Absolutism of the Moral Relativist Secular Values Crowd and contrasts it with the shocking “How Dare You?!” moral absolutism of the 4000 Judeo-Christian Ethical System.

Pop Quiz for everyone, where on the following continuum does evil begin to take root?
1. Unasked for or frustrating Sexual Compulsion.
2. Reluctant and weak-willed participant yet repentant slave to sexual compulsion
3. Acceptance and most importantly “IDENTIFICATION” with Sexual Compulsion
4. Tying Sexual Compulsion to a form of “Human Identity” and labeling oneself by your compulsion as a legitimate form of a material biological classification system, I.E “Caucasian, 235 lbs, Male, Eyes Blue, Hair Brown,” notice those classifications are unchangeable material realities of the physical world whereas labeling one self as “Bi-Sexual” has no “Physical Material Form”.
5. Next, demanding recognition of your Sexual Compulsion as a legitimate form of Human Identity in the Public Square, as equivalent and normal as having “brown eyes.”…brown eyes, again being a physical unchangeable material reality.
6. Organize, propagandize and apply political pressure to force others in the public square to accept your form of sexual compulsion and normalize it. Punish people who do not accept.
7. Finally engage in sexually compulsive acts anywhere, everywhere.

Answer: It starts at “3” the very minute you decide to give “Identity” to your compulsive thought..not just when you “Act Out”. I may have “Adulterous Thoughts” in my head from time to time…I don’t identify myself as Hi..I’m Tyler, Adulterer.

According to the Secular American Psychiatric Association there is a list of around 549 diagnosed and studied sexual of “Sexual Paraphilia” or Sexual Compulsions…commonly witnessed across all human beings and the list is growing. If you apply the 2% rule with all 549 compulsions across our entire population evenly of the United States than there is a very good chance someone has a private compulsion in this combox, other than the ones currently en vogue. Now let’s say mine is, out of the 549, I don’t know… “Agalmatophilia”…number 33 - an attraction to Statues, Mannequins and Immobile Objects…I may want to move into Nordstrom’s or live in Rome or Greece, but I digress..lets just follow the roadmap that has been laid out for us…
1. I Observe that at some point in my life I become strangely attracted to Mannequins.
2. I try to suppress or manage my Mannequin Love or keep Mannequin Love between me, myself and I.
3. Later I accept and now Identify with my Mannequin Love
4. Next, I Purposely confuse the masses that even though I am a white, Caucasian, Male… all legitimate forms of biological material world classification….I also sneak in that I am also a “Mannequin Lover”…which has no equivalency….. one is a material fact the other is a thought in my head which may or may not lead to an action. I have lots of thoughts or compulsions in my head do they deserve public square subjugation?
5. After I get that done…I Act Out, Organize and Demand Public Recognition of my Mannequin Love.
6. Than…I Show others that in addition to my Mannequin Love I am also quite a guy, I like movies, I play Baseball and Golf and I run a respectable Business and contribute my time to social causes and darnit people like me.
7. I Get the ACLU to sue Bakers and Bed and Breakfasts if they will not tolerate my Mannequin Love in their places of business
8. I Pass laws that change the meaning of institutions and make sure elementary schools and high schools have lockerooms that accommodate me, “Mannequin Lover”.
9. I Punish those publically who disagree with my Mannequin Love
10. I Win
11. I Move to Compulsion number 34…Rinse, Wash, Repeat

So if Putin, who I am not making a case is a living saint, takes a public stance that is in line with the Civilizing Reality of the Judeo-Christian Ethic…and may intelligently recognizes the slippery slope for what it is and publicaly call it that….while the Catholic accomodationalist Theorists in America and the west make strong focused hair splitting arguments that everybody ignores, and those with the agenda who use them as “Useful Idiot” Fodder to run interference as they continue to plow ahead aggressively..…….I say good for him!, what is really exciting for me is watching neo-cons get their tails kicked as they publicaly try to wrestle with the Pandora’s Box situation they have unwittingly helped create with their incredibly nuanced arguments that get absolutely no traction or respect by any side, because they have an inability to live in practical reality or observe natural occurring phenomenon, like, “Hey! For the first time Ever in the History of Humanity…Marriage doesn’t mean Marriage anymore!....lets discern!”

Viva La Transgendered Bathroom and Locker-room Laws in Elementary Schools paid for by my tax dollars! And Viva the elaborate gymnastics to explain it all by our friends the Neocon Catholics! May they apply their nuanced arguments of caution, tolerance, hand-wringing, gentle-scolding and to the up and coming Maschalagnia Movement People – Those that just LOOOOVVVEE the Underarms of people!

Posted by Norman Smith on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 6:02 PM (EDT):

Plain talk is wonderful! If only more people were listening.

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 5:13 PM (EDT):

I forgot to add that they both look silly with their shirts off. No occasion of sin there!

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 5:09 PM (EDT):

Yes, lot’s of food for thought here. Putin is no hero of mine, but I find Obama to be a much scarier thug. I can’t help but find hope in Putin’s desire to speak out on behalf of the Christians in the Middle East, and his desire to help resuscitate Russia, by helping Russian families. He should be able to differentiate between homosexual people and homosexual actions as the Church does. But God knows how much bullying the homosexual lobby is doing here, in the name of “tolerance”! If the church in Russia isn’t going to get a gay-lobby, iron fist in their face any time soon (“but you *must* believe what *I* believe about marriage!”)—well, good. Let’s hope for balance in the near future.
.
When my father tried to get me all hot and bothered about the law Jerry Brown just signed, allowing transgenderd males into the girls’ bathroom, I laughed and told him I sneaked into the boys bathroom at the zoo last week to avoid a long line. “They do this in France” I announced, as I walked in. This annoyed him, and made the veins in his temples bulge. He frantically insisted that this would pave the way to my daughter needing to undress in the girls’ locker room with transgendered males.
.
Hmmmmmm
What was it St. Paul said about worrying about tomorrow?
I’m *choosing* not to worry about the thuggish actions Putin *may* perpetrate in the future. I’m more *worried* about the ones Obama is perpetrating *right now*.
Choosin’ my battles.
.
I’m going to go drink wine on the beach with a friend while my kids play, instead of thinking about the fact that Obama has the wheels in motion for so much democracy-smashing crap, we can’t even wrap our bullied brains around it.
.
Birth licenses anyone?
No, scratch that.
Summer is almost over, and I’m going to make myself enjoy my family despite the fact that it’s been the coldest summer since 1906. (Global warming? Heh.)

It may be possible that Putin is having a bit of a conversion of his own.

Or at least a conversion to the idea that *maybe* Christian morality isn’t just the opiate of the people.

He’s not my friend, but I give even my enemies the *chance at conversion*. God works in mysterious ways.

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 3:56 PM (EDT):

Thank you, Thibaud. That was a marvelous and welcome addition to this thread of comments. Folks, we are no longer living in the Cold War. Whereas Russia has spread its errors to the West, it appears maybe, just maybe, this emanation from Russia has finally been checked. Also, maybe, just maybe, Russia may be returning to her Christian roots. This, to me, is an encouraging thought. Perhaps we are beginning to witness the triumph of the Immaculate Heart in its earliest stages. I, for one, remain hopeful.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 3:50 PM (EDT):

I saw this in the UK Catholic Herald.I know, a bit off topic, but it’s a great publication.Good article, too.

Good post. I’ve learned plenty from your writing and the comments. This is definitely a successful column.

Posted by Mark Shea on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 3:18 PM (EDT):

Romulus:

Yes. I get all that. And yet, for all that, it is still beyond moronic that somebody would call a critic of Putin, expecially Simcha, “once-reliably orthodox” for the crime of stepping on the toes of this latest ill-chosen Conservative Catholic Folk Hero. One’s orthodoxy as a Catholic does not stand or fall with trust in a murderous authoritarian thug.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 3:15 PM (EDT):

Eileen,
Bleaching the sheets wouldn’t hurt, but bedbugs can hide in cracks in the bedframe,& elswhere,too.I think it’s more of a pest control issue than a laundry issue.
Sorry.
(I’m not thrilled at the idea of staying in hotels much anymore.)

Posted by Romulus on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:56 PM (EDT):

Mark, please calm down. I think everyone has already agreed to stipulate that Putin is not a Care Bear. We also know he’s neither St. Louis IX nor Pol Pot.

The more interesting question is where Vladimir Putin can be located in the context of history. I put it to you that the Church has seen his type many times before, and that, as Mrs Thatcher said of Gorbachev, it’s a type we (meaning the Church) can do business with. Let me say I am particularly gratified by Putin’s leadership in the Middle East, making Russia the only significant power advocating for the rights of Christians there. Here too he is squarely in the tsarist tradition as temporal patron of (mostly Orthodox) Christians in muslim lands. The USA meanwhile is (and has been for over 100 years) squarely in the masonic tradition of targeting indigenous communities practicing the apostolic faith.

Posted by Eileen on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:40 PM (EDT):

JohnN - actually, I’m libertarian enough to think hotels and other private businesses should not be beholden to the ADA. And I don’t consider a business who doesn’t want to accommodate people in wheelchairs discriminatory. There would surely be some hotelier to crop up who would. And then I would take my dollars there. Right now, I’m actually in the market for a hotel who washes and bleaches the sheets every night - I’m terrified of bedbugs and willing to pay more!

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:23 PM (EDT):

JohnN ,
Outside of medical malpractise, which is already overused, I don’t really care about punishments.It’s a red herring.

Posted by Mark Shea on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:13 PM (EDT):

Yes. It is deeply worrisome when somebody says, “Putin’s cynical plays to Christian piety are better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick, but don’t start anointing this murderous authoritarian thug as the latest Conservative Catholic Folk Hero or making excuses for him since he is, you know, a murderous authoritarian thug.” What sort of Catholic *wouldn’t* be deeply worried about such an elementary act of discernment and common sense? Far better to embrace pagan wisdom like “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” and “Loathing of Obama taketh away the sins of the world.”

Posted by anna lisa on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:11 PM (EDT):

Oh my, what an interesting classroom this is today. I’m reminded of some Catholic saint that said we must be content to look upon the strings and the knots from *behind* the tapestry in this life, with the knowledge that some day we will see the front of it.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 2:10 PM (EDT):

mrscracker: I am not looking for “harsh punishments” as you suggest. But I think you already know that. All I want to do is to draw the reader’s attention to the fact that all the contributors to these columns who want government assistance in “banning abortion” never seem to address the fact that a ban without punishment for transgression is a waste of time. It is just words. Accordingly, I would like to know what penalties you would wish the government to impose for something that you term “feticide” or “murder” - a question that you studiously sidestep.

Posted by Frustrated on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 1:58 PM (EDT):

Me too,I totally agree with Steve Jalsevac’s comment.

Posted by Martin on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 1:53 PM (EDT):

Romulus, again excellent observations. On the other hand, I have truly begun to worry about Simcha Fischer and Mark Shea and their multitudinous supporters here, almost as much as I worry about the Church, the West, my nation, my family and myself.

Posted by Romulus on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 1:46 PM (EDT):

Mark Shea: actually, Vlad Putin is very much in the Constantinian mold. He is a strongman who violently tramples many in his determination to rule. In pursuit of which, he considers it politically advantageous to shower privileges on the Church. Whether that is to his personal credit is for God to decide. Personally I believe his piety is no less genuine for being of a Russian nature alien to American sensibilities infected by Western protestantism, humanism, and romanticism. His actions have promoted the flow of spiritual benefits to millions of believers, and that is plenty good enough for me. No, he is not a democrat, and Russia is not utopia. So what?

Posted by Thibaud on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 1:39 PM (EDT):

WARNING : EXTREMELY LONG RANT / HISTORICAL ANALYSIS. Please forgive me but I am 1) of Russian descent ; 2) an history buff. This extremely long rant was first published on Mark Shea blog, which linked to this article.

Well actually I would argue that Putin has lots in common with other political leaders like Constantine and Napoleon Bonaparte, which include both good and bad (and ugly) characteristics.

Constantine, Napoleon and Putin are all three very intelligent and skillfull politicians who managed to satisfy their enormous hunger for power and rose to top political powers by being smarter, more ruthless, more unforgiving and more coldly calculating than everyone else, in a time and place (late Roman Empire ; post-revolutionary France ; post-Soviet meltdown Russia) where fighting for power meant having a very good chance of waking up dead, showing both bravery and borderline psychopathy.

Constantine, Napoleon and Putin all did enormous and undeniable good for their respective countries : Constantine put an end to decades of civil wars (even though he actually was partially responsible for said civil wars…) and restored order, stability and economic progress ; Napoleon put an end to 10 years of Revolutionary madness / civil war (even though he actually willingly served under said crazy revolutionary regimes…) and restored order, stability and economic progress ; Putin put an end to 8 years of corruption and misery brought about by crazy unrestrained capitalism following 70 years of crazy communism (even though he actually willingly served under said crazy communist regime…) and (you guessed it) restored order, stability and economic progress.

As a result, all three gained enormous popularity among their people : Napoleon was the most popular French leader ever for about half of his time in power and Putin is still extremely popular among the Russian people (maybe he wouldn’t get the 65% of the votes he get in elections, if said elections were truly free and democratic but a) he would get close to those 65% and b) the Russian people actually dislike democracy, which they associate with the 8 years of crazy unrestrained capitalism and corruption (the main political forces in Russia are : Putin’s Party ; the Communist Party ; the Right-wing ultra-nationalist Party ; the pro-Western, pro-democracy Party is supported by barely 1% of the population).

Moreover, all three did undeniable good for Christianity. Constantine put a definitive end to persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire and de facto favored evangelization. Napoleon put an end to the persecution of French Catholics ; Pope Pius VII, recognizing that Napoleon was (at the time) a force for good, signed a Concordat with him, establishing new peaceful relations between the Church and the French government, and even came to Paris in 1804 to bless his crowning as Emperor of the French. Putin favors the Russian Orthodox Church and protects it against its ennemy (crazy femi-nazies endorsed by the West,...).

OF COURSE, all three of them favored Christianity mainly because they saw political interest in it, not primarily because of their saintly love for Christ and His Church : Constantine was mainly looking for civil peace and unity : though he may have had some sincere Christian sentiments, he was not a saint and was baptized (on his deathbed) as a heretical Arian, not an orthodox Christian. Napoleon wanted national reconciliation and French bishops at his disposal, himself being a typical 18th-19th century “intellectual” with no religious conviction, who actually found Islam more appealing than Christianity. Putin being still alive I won’t venture trying to read his soul (which only God may judge) but I will venture that the promise of giving his people a reason to live and hope AND having the support of the Russian Orthodox Church might be quite appealing to him from a political standpoint :). BUT the fact remains that they did good for the Christians of their country, both for good and bad reasons.

Finally, all three have been, at least for a time, a force for good for the world. Constantine restored order for the Empire. Napoleon gave long-lasting efficient institutions to France and half of Europe. And Putin, to give only one example, is presently dissuading the US and its European vassals from invading Syria to assassinate Bachar El-Assad and support Al Quaeda and other Radical Muslim groups. Without Putin, the US would have already intervened in Syria, which would have led to a) the explosion of Syria along ethnic and religious lines ; b) power being taken over by radical muslims (just like in Egypt, Lybia and Tunisia) ; c) the extermination or exile of every single Syrian Christians and other minority groups (shi’ite muslims, alaouite muslims, druzes,...).

Are (or were) Constantine, Napoleon and Putin complex characters and also our brothers in Christ through baptism who we could try not to dismiss in one sentence as blood-thirsty monsters ? Um yeah probably.

Are (or were) they, at least at some point and in some measure, a force for good for Christianity and the world ? Undeniably yes.

Are (or were) they in other regards ruthless politicians who would not hesitate becoming a force for evil if it suited their political goals ? Of course, yes.

So I would argue that we should neither follow Putin blindly, nor worship him but also recognize that he can be a force for good, even if it is for the wrong reasons.

If you read that from beginning to end, you’ve wasted 10 minutes and thank you ;) !

Posted by Mark Shea on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 1:14 PM (EDT):

Call a thug who poisons his political enemies a thug and remind Catholics “This cynical pol is not the New Constantine so don’t go all doolally over him” and all of a sudden you are “once-reliably orthodox”. You’d think that after a decade of making massively bad judgment calls about so many things, Truly True Really Real Purely Pure Catholics would exhibit just a smidge of humility before yet again gathering wood for the stake and beginning the excommunication proceedings.

Posted by Martin on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:57 PM (EDT):

I should have added “of Brindisi” after Lawrence.

Posted by Martin on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:55 PM (EDT):

Romulus, good observations. The zeitgeist would have us exalt Tolerance and Niceness above almost all else, but for just a few examples of how the Church used to be up until not so very long ago, Saints John of Capistrano and Lawrence each successfully led armies into battle against moslems invaders. There is also a legend that Saint Nicholas (yes, Santa Claus), incensed by Arius’ heresy, punched him out at the Council of Nicaea.

Posted by Romulus on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:26 PM (EDT):

Simcha, for pete’s sake read some history. Do you think Charlemagne was a boy scout? I would locate him morally on a par with Mussolini, if you want to know (since we’re talking about fascists and all). But bad as they were, God was able to use them both to his glory.

Putin is a Tsar, an autocrat. Americans freak out at this phenomenon, but it is well represented in Christian history, all the way back to Constantine and Theodosius and Justinian, all of whom were decidedly NOT nice men, each of whom was interested mostly in his own power, but in the mystery of God’s providence became a means of safety and honor for a Church that had previously known mostly persecution and scorn.

Flannery O’Connor had some very pointed and refreshing things to say to American sentimentalists whose delicate sensibilities are pained by the fact that the Church exists in a fallen world and from time to time has to do business with gangsters. Not because she endorses them but because they allow her to carry out her mission openly and do not persecute her. That is about the most you can ask of sinful men. And yes, according to that measure, Putin is a far better man than Obama.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:26 PM (EDT):

JohnN ,
If you’re interested in harsh criminal punishments you’re looking at the wrong way to end state sanctioned feticide & probably barking up the wrong tree if you’re looking for support on a Catholic website.I’d like to think folks here are more concerned about mercy than punishment.At least that’s the way I see it as a Christian.

Posted by Martin on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:20 PM (EDT):

Hitler also ate breakfast, wore trousers and combed his hair. Does that make all those things wrong, too?

It is very disturbing to find Simcha Fisher so apparently inspired with the zeitgeist along with a disconcertingly large fraction of the commenters here, whom one would assume to be Catholic readers of the once-reliably orthodox National Catholic Register.

Posted by Daniel on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:18 PM (EDT):

It doesn’t matter what Simcha thinks or says. She shoots her mouth off about something she doesn’t know any more or less about than the average pew warmer, gets a few laughs, and then walks away from a fight so Mark Shea can take over. Is she right? Maybe, probably even. Has she ever been to Russia? Or Medjugorje, or Michael Voris’ TV studio? Probably not. Her opinion is no better than anyone else, so get over it. God will decide.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:09 PM (EDT):

“Nobody, for example, is being forced to have an abortion”

*********************************************************************
John, the pre-born child is forced into the abortion process & has no consent to his or her destruction.There is more than one individual involved.
Times do change with technology.With ultrasound imaging we can no longer pretend the victim of feticide is a faceless product of conception.

Posted by Stu on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:08 PM (EDT):

Constantine was certainly no angel. But he did stop the persecution of the Christians. I would have cheered that if I had lived in that era.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 12:04 PM (EDT):

mrscracker: I am not even thinking of times before Roe vs Wade. I am looking at the here and now! I look forward to an explanation of how today we will see abortion banned without penalties if the ban is broken. If there are no legal penalties then nothing will have changed any more than abortion is ‘banned’ in Ireland or most of Latin America. If abortion is murder then let it be murder, not just a condemning word.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:58 AM (EDT):

To JD: I guess any argument can be reduced to the absurd by false comparisons. And, NO, I do not agree with total libertarianism! However, I do believe that the claim that in the case of moral beliefs our government, or any democratic western government, is forcing any beliefs on us is incorrect and should be countered. Nobody, for example, is being forced to have an abortion - as happened in China. Nobody is being forced to do anything for homosexuals other than to give them the same rights as the rest of us enjoy. And I would suggest that gives us no more pain than accommodating the blind and the crippled who, back in the day of Jesus, for example, were often social outcasts. Times change!! Also, referencing my perhaps “cherry picking” I am sure that you are right since we are all guilty of that when addressing moral issues and using the scriptures as our reference point. Don’t you also perhaps sometimes find yourself doing that?

Posted by Katherine on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:54 AM (EDT):

“You’re crazy. And you frighten me.”

There are crazy, frightening voices among the Catholic Right. You are good to call them out.

Posted by victor on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:28 AM (EDT):

In terms of good national leaders of whom I do approve, I was a fan of Prince Roy of the Principality of Sealand up until he died last year. I’m not sure what his successor, son Michael, has been up to since then, though.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 11:09 AM (EDT):

JohnN,
There’s no debate here.The issue’s human rights.Seeking harsher penalties than existed pre Roe vs Wade is a red herring.The goal is to focus on how to better preserve human life, not punishment.

Posted by JD on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:39 AM (EDT):

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:59 AM (EDT):
“To Wanda: Nobody in the USA is forcing you to marry anybody, gay or straight. Also, nobody is forcing you to have an abortion - it would be totally your own choice and if your religious belief forbids it you are free not to have one. Surely that is the freedom that true democracy brings by allowing you, as an individual, to make your own decisions without government force.”

JohnN, by this argument we should have no laws whatsoever. What your espousing is absolute libertarianism. Let’s try your argument with other evils currently forbidden by law.

...nobody is forcing you to *steal* - it would be totally your own choice and if your religious belief forbids it you are free not to *steal*.

....nobody is forcing you to *rape* - it would be totally your own choice and if your religious belief forbids it you are free not to *rape*.

Why cherry-pick when it comes to abortion & gay “marriage.”

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:23 AM (EDT):

Ditto, JohnN

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:11 AM (EDT):

I totally agree with Steve Jalsevac’s comment here.

Posted by Steve Jalsevac on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 10:00 AM (EDT):

Sometimes I wonder where the Register gets these bloggers who so love to very uncharitably and gleefully trash people. That is NOT Catholic. The LifeSiteNews story has zero emphasis on trying to make people think “Putin is a Christian guy who just wants to make the world a better place in which to live.”

It is just a straight, factual news report on a notably newsworthy occurrence. What Putin’s real motives may or may not be are besides the point. It is however most ironic that this tyrannical, former KGB agent is the only leader urging the West to join together to try to stop the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:56 AM (EDT):

To Eileen: Yes, you are right. And our government, which is a representative of the people, also obliges hotels to accommodate blind and crippled people. Do you agree with that or do you disagree as apparently you do with homosexual people.

To rscracker: You and I have had this debate before and I would therefore again encourage you to find support among the people at large and among the politicians for the implementation of our existing legal penalties for ‘murder’ (feticide) for both of the participants, the mother and the abortionist. If you do not believe that support is available then we just have words ‘signifying nothing’.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:44 AM (EDT):

Posted by charles harmett on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 6:25 PM (EDT):

By the way, Abraham Lincoln jailed his opponents during the Civil War. He suspended habeaus Corpus. Russia is not Western Europe, they missed the Renaissance. There is a whole different mentality there. There is an old saying in Russia which translated into english is “scratch the cheek of a russian and you will find a mongol”. Different history, different geography, different race, different place.”
********************************************************
I was thinking along those lines about Russia, too.They also became Christian fairly late in history.
I’ve always enjoyed reading about Abraham Lincoln & admire his early life, but I really am disturbed by some of the actions he took during the War Bewtween the States.

Posted by mrscracker on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:37 AM (EDT):

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:59 AM (EDT):

To Wanda: Nobody in the USA is forcing you to marry anybody, gay or straight. Also, nobody is forcing you to have an abortion - it would be totally your own choice and if your religious belief forbids it you are free not to have one. Surely that is the freedom that true democracy brings by allowing you, as an individual, to make your own decisions without government force.”
****************************************************
It’s reiterating the obvious, but feticide involves at least one unwilling participant who is not free to choose.

Posted by Eileen on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:29 AM (EDT):

JohnN - there are many examples of private business owners being told by the government that they cannot legally refuse to serve homosexual couples. That amounts to the government forcing people to accept homosexual marriage. I predict it will not be long until churches are told they must marry same sex couples or lose their tax exempt status. Personally, I welcome that day, but it is also an example of the government forcing people to accept gay marriage.

Posted by John Jalsevac on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:22 AM (EDT):

Simcha, I think you need to go read Hilary White’s article again. It simply reported what Putin said, without offering any suggestion to readers on what they should or should not think about it. In other words, it’s a straightforward news report on something that was clearly newsworthy. You can criticize people who commented on it and how THEY interpreted the remarks, but it’s hard to find anything objectionable in the article itself.

Posted by Raul on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 9:20 AM (EDT):

Really?! I mean, really, you cannot see the reality of the situation? And you invoke the unholy name of the Nationalist Socialist dictator in support? Citizens of these United States need to wake up and realize that this Union is not the greatest in the world and quite frankly has not been for quite some time now. Wherein our religious liberties has seen a decline, those within the Russian Federation has seen theirs increase ever since the fall of the Soviet Union and the many secessions which have taken place to bring it about. Our leaders shy away from speaking about faith in the public square and further, persecute it daily with each new restrictive law in violation of our own first amendment while in the opposite side of the world Christianity appears to have been embraced by the political class to the point where our own leaders have been shamed by its outspoken prominence, eg. Putin praised the growth of cooperation between the Orthodox Churches and the Russian state, saying, “We act as genuine partners and colleagues to solve the most pressing domestic and international tasks, to implement joint initiatives for the benefit of our country and people.” -source Lifesitenews.com

Can you imagine if the president of the Union spoke like this? Right. Neither can I.

Additionally, a whistle-blower informs the American public about a spying program that would have been the envy of the Stalinist era KGB and he is forced to flee to of all places, The Russian Federation where he is granted asylum for a year? Where is true freedom found, I ask you?

Further, we now live in an age wherein we cannot even rely on our major American news media sources to tell us the truth as they are no more than propaganda machines for our federal overlords but by contrast RT has easily taken their place.

Is there a problem with your eyesight, my lady, or are you one of those that according to conspiracy, doesn’t believe that Russia has been consecrated by our Lady according to her wishes?

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:59 AM (EDT):

To Wanda: Nobody in the USA is forcing you to marry anybody, gay or straight. Also, nobody is forcing you to have an abortion - it would be totally your own choice and if your religious belief forbids it you are free not to have one. Surely that is the freedom that true democracy brings by allowing you, as an individual, to make your own decisions without government force.

Posted by JohnN on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:46 AM (EDT):

Simcha lambasts Putin and then thinks that Obama ‘stinks’ and I am sure she would not approve of England’s conservative David Cameron nor France’s socialist M. Hollande since they both approve of ‘gay marriage’. What political leader - who represents the people who elected him, which in all these cases was the majority of the country - does she respect? Now that Benedict has gone perhaps even the new Pope is potentially unelectable for her.
Also, the NC Register purports to be a ‘religious faith’ paper. Does it really need to publish blatantly political articles?

Posted by Wanda on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:45 AM (EDT):

Responding to Leora…..views you agree with are being are being forced on the whole population here in the US. Gay marriage, abortion etc.

Posted by SaraKH on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 8:09 AM (EDT):

You nailed this one Simcha! Part of our faith is recognizing and valuing each one’s humanity…this guy does not!

Posted by Corita on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 7:45 AM (EDT):

I, too, would like a “feminist barbarian” t-shirt.

Posted by Ed on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 6:16 AM (EDT):

I can see that the writer’s emotions have gotten the better of her in this article; very little clarity and even worse historical and theological sense.

What she sees as Christian virtue being the course of action is an ideology that contains little reality. The rise of Christianity in the Western world was not due to a single course of action, but a flux or range of activities that included extremes at both ends. I could take out the name of Putin and insert a few Popes, and it would be the same article; just a different time.

Virtue is as Aristotle noted; a golden mean not necessarily in the middle of the extremes of deficiency and excess. Absolute virtuous action was a state embodied only within one man, Christ, and the rest of us are going to have to define a course based upon an outcome of the mixing of our voices. This means Putin’s and all others. All of the time, “extremes” generate common sense as well as nonsense.

I’m a Catholic and a conservative, but I also live in this world and choose reality. Putin’s actions generate news and opinions on one of many subjects that are destroying humanity in our modern culture. There are many people who express their beliefs in all kinds of manners. It will be the accumulative effect that our future will reside in. If you believe that God makes good of evil, then have faith, and speak out with your voice.

Posted by Lisa Twaronite on Wednesday, Aug 14, 2013 6:00 AM (EDT):

Martin, do you mean Pussy Riot? “Feminist barbarians”—love that. (I need to get that printed in matching tee-shirts for me & my daughter.)

Simcha, I don’t always agree with what you believe you, but this is one of the times that I do.

Posted by Mark Shea on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 11:02 PM (EDT):

I think what you are overlooking, Simcha, is this: http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lsavzdeIM21qzfa2lo1_500.jpg

Checkmate.

Posted by Martin on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 10:43 PM (EDT):

Sorry Simcha, I can’t agree with you. Putin is about more than just a correct attitude towards sodomy. He also vigorously and appropriately responded to the desecration of Christ the Savior Cathedral by feminist barbarians (interestingly, this is the same church that was dynamited to rubble by the communists in 1931). He also attends Holy Liturgy every Christmas; here’s a link to a video of last year - notice he makes the sign of the cross several times: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nidwy3FalRs . None of us can know his heart or true intentions, but these actions of his are far better than the symbolic and actual attacks on Christianity by our own leader.

Posted by Corita on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 10:22 PM (EDT):

Also, I just re-read that LifeSite News piece and remembered one of my favorite parts:

“You don’t know his heart! Who are you to judge!!!”

yes. I do believe this stupid could actually hurt people if given the chance.

Posted by Martin Soy on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 10:12 PM (EDT):

Right on the money - the guy is evil.

Posted by Corita on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 10:04 PM (EDT):

Thomas Lewis, God might use Putin’s Russia to do His will, because He is God after all and He can make something good come out of even the most horrible thing ever done…. but I am willing to wager my life on the idea that God doesn’t want any of us cooperating with Evil on the half-baked idea it is for the Good.

Anybody who thinks they are doing things “from God’s perspective” is in serious spiritual danger.

Posted by Thomas Lewis on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 9:39 PM (EDT):

Simcha your at it again. I do believe that even enemy’s can be a Christians friends, when you look at it from Gods perspective. So far Simcha you usually get it wrong. I don’t think things will change this time. It’s Gods providence, he may use Russia and China to destroy the US, but it may be that the immorality needs to be demolished. That would be hard for all including Catholics, but then we are not of this world.

Posted by Nate C. on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 9:21 PM (EDT):

While we have always been told that Putin is the devil, unbiased research reveals otherwise. There is little supporting evidence that Putin’s positive changes to Russia are somehow a farce, it just defies common sense.

Posted by JessieM on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 8:59 PM (EDT):

haven’t we learned; YOU CANNOT LEGISLATE MORALITY! It has never worked or there would be no murder, adultery, theft, libel, etc. And i think, though I have no proof, that Putin fixes his Judo matches!

Posted by Kevin on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 8:39 PM (EDT):

The reason some people like Putin is no matter his flaws he is about a billion times better than Obama.

Posted by Ron Weasley on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 8:23 PM (EDT):

@AnnieF: HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED!!!!

Posted by charles harmett on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 6:40 PM (EDT):

to Tiffany
I will pray for you as I know EXACTLY what you are going through. We went through the same situation in 2003 but without major glitches. I understand things are different now. I will pray for you.

Posted by Ryan Vande Water on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 6:30 PM (EDT):

“Think. Think. Just because someone says he hates the things that terrify you, that does not make him your friend. “

And then, when you’re done thinking about that… think harder about why you would be “terrified” of a gay person in the first place.

Posted by charles harmett on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 6:25 PM (EDT):

By the way, Abraham Lincoln jailed his opponents during the Civil War. He suspended habeaus Corpus. Russia is not Western Europe, they missed the Renaissance. There is a whole different mentality there. There is an old saying in Russia which translated into english is “scratch the cheek of a russian and you will find a mongol”. Different history, different geography, different race, different place.

Posted by Eileen on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 5:13 PM (EDT):

Corita is right - telling private citizens what they can and cannot say is totalitarianism and should not be praised.
.
I’m so sorry Tiffany. I will pray specifically for you and your little guy for the next nine days. I know there’s a lot of national pride wrapped up in the halting of those adoptions but orphanages and other state run systems are no place for a child if there is a loving family waiting. God bless.

Posted by Elisa on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:47 PM (EDT):

Here’s a column on the Russian adoption ban by Prof. Paul Kengor back in January:
http://catholicexchange.com/why-did-vladimir-putin-ban-american-adoptions/

Posted by Line on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:42 PM (EDT):

Mrs Fisher,
You are awesome! Thank you!

Posted by Corita on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:41 PM (EDT):

I think we also need to stand up against the violent suppression of the freedom to speak, and that means of gay speech as well. Worrying about “homosexual propaganda” tainting children is NOT what the laws in Russia are about. You can’t even mention the existence of homosexuals, much less advocate they are treated like human beings (I am not talking about gay marriage, just their existence and equal value.) A demonstration against the anti-free-speech laws in Russia was attended by police in riot gear…who stood around and watch people beat the demonstrators.

Posted by sarah mac on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:35 PM (EDT):

The KKK also denounces homosexuals.

Posted by Lydia on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:18 PM (EDT):

Just wait. Someone will start saying he’s like Presterjohn or something. Wheee! Internet!

Posted by Kate on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:18 PM (EDT):

Maybe what people were thinking was that America is going to hell, maybe Russia is on the upswing. Don’t know. I doubt anyone is actually going to expatriate. Is Putin any worse than the clowns we have here? We’ve got better PR and they offer us comfortable toilets. You know, you can get the same results by different means. For instance, China has low fertility from compulsion; the US has low fertility because “they” make it easy for us not to have children and dangle before our eyes the joys of being free and childless. Perhaps it’s the difference between Orwell’s world and Huxley’s. White martyrdom may be less bloody than the head-basing kind, but it’s still martyrdom and the tyrants still get what they want.

Posted by Tiffany Lewis on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:14 PM (EDT):

As a mother whose once-to-be-adopted son is stuck in a hellish Russian orphanage due to the purely political Russian adoption ban (Let’s hurt the US politicians by punishing our weak and defenseless orphans!), I was completely unaware that any American had a favorable impression of him. Defender of children and family he definitely is NOT! And I am not even judging his actions in the olden days, but just the past 8 months!

Posted by mrscracker on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 2:10 PM (EDT):

I’m not so sure Pat Buchanan wants to canonize Mr Putin, I think he was more likely using recent events to expose the values & hypocrisy of Western media.
I like Pat Buchanan but sometimes he does goes over the edge.

Posted by Suzanna on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:57 PM (EDT):

Truth.

Posted by Leora on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:57 PM (EDT):

I don’t get it. Even as a liberal atheist, if I saw a head of state shutting down churches and banning religious orders, I wouldn’t stand up and cheer or wish I could move there. Freedom means being free to practice whatever religion you believe is right, or none at all. Turning someplace into a Christian paradise on earth most likely means that they’re a paradise for only one particular kind of Christian and intolerant of anyone else and any doctrinal variation. Lots of American liberals are for population control and long-term sterilization methods, but I’ve never met anyone who supports China’s family planning policies and methods. I’d rather live in a free society than one that forces views I agree with on the whole population.

Posted by Dale Price on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:48 PM (EDT):

FWIW, I didn’t think Hilary’s article was all that problematic—it seems to be an overview of his and the ROC’s statements. I agree it’s not safe to take his statements at face value, though.

What’s in a name? Vladimir…Voldemort…mostly the some consonants anyway

Posted by KM on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:30 PM (EDT):

Whoa. The comments on that Hilary White article are just insane. Insane.

Posted by Jordan on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:29 PM (EDT):

Meh, I think he just looks kinda pudgy. And I’m with Victor. Pootin. When my son was little, I would jokingly call him Vladimir when holding him and hearing him pass gas, for that reason. I’m mature.

Posted by Theresa H on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:16 PM (EDT):

“Yes, I said “Hitler” on the internet, boo hoo hoo.”

You’re awesome, Simcha.

Posted by victor on Tuesday, Aug 13, 2013 1:02 PM (EDT):

Heh heh heh… Vladimir “Pootin’”. It’s been over 20 years and that still cracks me up, every time I hear it.

Anyway, that’s neither here nor there. Good post!

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